Wayne Flynt

This short, compelling book is just what the cover says: the story of a friendship. It is not an in-depth analysis of To Kill A Mockingbird, nor is it a biography of Harper Lee. Rather, it is a series of vignettes of the relationship between the author, a noted Alabama historian and writer, and Ms. Lee and her two sisters. Like many such books of letters, it is easy to read and hard to put down. Flynt fills in the space between letters with details about what is happening in Lee's life and show more in his own. Perhaps I can say it is a Southern thing, being from Alabama myself (though having left it, like so many), but these stories of family are what is important in the relationship and what holds it together. There is also a shared sense of disgust at certain Alabama things, such as Judge Roy Moore, circa 2006. Flynt, despite being a devout Baptist, shares Lee's liberal sentiments about most things.

One reviewer said this book was more about Flynt than Lee, and given that he wrote it, I guess that is the case. Lee's letters are also filled with praise for Flynt's work, such as his history of Alabama in the 20th Century and another book about poor whites. This is not self-promotion on Flynt's part, however. Lee requested that Flynt repeat one presentation he had given on To Kill A Mockingbird as her eulogy--which he did, the day after her death at her Monroeville funeral.

So what is to be gained by reading this book? Certainly some insight into Harper Lee's character. In the earlier letters, before eye problems and a stroke limited her writing, she writes with great wit and shows a wide knowledge of literature and history. Her cutting remarks about others, her unwanted biographers in particular, but also Truman Capote, are entertaining and insightful. The reader will also gain an appreciation for Ms. Lee's remarkable sisters, especially her older sister Alice, who died in 2014 at age 103, and practiced law in Monroeville until she was 100! Mostly, you will appreciate the value of friendship, even if conducted over great distances and with infrequent meetings. It is something to treasure and hold on to.

Throughout the book, Flynt revels in letting Lee know just how popular and influential her book continues to be. I guess that is why there is an interest in books like this one. We want to know what kind of person created such a book that continues to teach us lessons to this day. It is a book you can read as a teenager and return to as an adult and still be awed by. It was created by a pretty feisty, extraordinary lady, who tried to abandon Alabama for New York City, but could never put that home behind her. Reading this book helps explain why. It is a simple, heartfelt monument to the author of To Kill a Mockingbird--one that even she would have appreciated. show less

As a native Alabamian, departed for almost 20 years now, I retain a fascination with my home state and its troubled history. This seems to be about the only comprehensive book that is available--and it is over 20 years old now. However, it is a mostly unflinching look at a history of promise and failure. It did bring to life a few names that were very familiar, but which I had never gone into depth about--such as Governor Big Jim Folsom, and a host of other past governors that things were show more named after, such as Thomas Kilby and B.B. Comer. The state was blessed from time to time with leaders who were somewhat progressive, but were usually thwarted by a legislature that was not. And progressive for Alabama meant that perhaps black people should get a little education, but not that they should be allowed to vote--or at least until the Constitution of 1901 took away their voting rights almost completely, along with those of poor whites who also couldn't be trusted to vote the right way. Before 1901, blacks were registered, but their votes were cast for them in favor of the most backward, racist candidates, and along with a gerrymandered system of representation that gave far more representation to the state's Black Belt that it warranted, resulted in progressive candidates winning the more enlightened (and less former slaveholding) North Alabama vote but being beaten because 95% of the black vote (cast by whites) went to candidates who upheld the status quo.

Despite a few colorful characters, such as Folsom or Johnson Jones Hooper, creator of Captain Simon Suggs, and pretty good writing, much of the book falls into a pattern of statistics and names of governors and what they failed to accomplish. There are good sections recognizing Alabama writers such as Harper Lee, William March, and others.

It took me a few days to put my finger on what was lacking about this book, but I should have seen it right away. It is just that it doesn't do much to bring the historical figures to life. Even those who stand out, such as Folsom, are discussed in terms of their actions and not so much their motivations. George Wallace, the most divisive and important Alabamian ever, gets his due as a racist but also as a judge who treated black people quite well. It is just such contradictions that lie at the heart of this book, and as long as it is, I'm afraid it would have to be a whole lot longer to really provide the sort of deep character studies I would hope for. Still, as an overview and a guide for where to look next, it is well done. The authors don't cover up or make excuses for the state's poor performance in just about every area short of home runs (see Willie Mays and Hank Aaron). Flynt, writing the last portion, can't help but try to end on an upbeat note--but it rings false. While Alabama has gotten better since the book was published in 1994, it has continued to lag behind just about every other state in most areas, and its politicians just seem to sink lower and lower into the mud. show less

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt
HarperCollins: 5/2/17
eBook review copy; 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9780062660084

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt is recommended for the future historical significance of his correspondence with the notoriously private Nelle Harper Lee.
This is a collection of letters Lee and Flynt sent to each other over the years, from 1992 to Lee's death in 2016. The letters show a side of Lee that few seldom saw and could show more be a valuable resource for future biographers.

Flynt opens up the organized sections of letters with comments about the letters that follow. There is a variety of subjects discussed and as you are reading them you can see the friendship between the two growing and maturing. The letters begin more formal and eventually become personal and intimate. There are a few feisty observations and comments from Lee that will be appreciated, along with her sense of humor and phrasing as the letter begin to exhibit more of her personality. It should be noted that Lee's attorney approved the publication of the letters.

The value of this collection is the insight it provides into Lee's life during her correspondence with Flynt. It does beg the question, though, how she would have felt about the publication of their personal correspondence. She was a very private person. One rarely writes to friends and expects that exchange to be published in the future. However there is a long history of letters of famous people being collected and published.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/05/mockingbird-songs.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1990391393 show less

Wayne Flynt is a well-known Alabamian. He is a beloved history professor who taught at Samford University and at Auburn University. His area of specialty is economic and labor history of the Deep South. He is an ordained Baptist minister. His interests and vocations have led him to become a crusader in the anti-poverty war. Because of this he has run afoul of the "Big Mules" in Alabama state politics more than once. Because of his statewide reputation as a crusader and stand-up guy, he also show more got cross-wise of Bobby Lowder, CEO of Colonial Bank, millionaire, and Auburn University Board of Trustees. A large portion of this book is devoted to Flynt's side of the Board of Trustee wars in the 1990's and 2000's that almost destroyed Auburn University. If you are interested in how the American South got to be the corrupt place it was and still is then this is a must-read book for you. In it you will find that the Old South is not dead, but there are people still willing to fight for civil rights of all classes of people.

This book is a memoir written by a master storyteller. The book is documented were it needs to be by Flynt's notes, diaries, and state records. However, there are no end notes and no index so going back to check on details is a bit difficult. Even so the book is smooth reading, well written, and unlike so many memoirs, well documented and an example of how a memoir should be written. show less